Finals Week Survival Guide

Finals week is here! Some people have not had them yet, and some already have had them. Either way, these tips can be useful for getting through your heavy exam periods.

Find a study area

Finding a study area is one of the most important things to do during finals week, and during the school year in general. Your study spot should be an area where you feel comfortable enough to spend a lot of time there, but not comfortable to the point where you will be lounging around.

Get out of the library!

You are going to be spending a great deal of time inside studying, which can be very draining. Make sure to go for a walk, take a lunch break in a new location, or any where you can find to change the scenery. Trust me, you will want to do this.

Stay hydrated

Nothing is more important than taking care of yourself during periods of extreme stress. Staying hydrated will keep you focused and make sure you are at your best for your exams. Drinking water may not seem like it may affect your exam performance, but your body needs to be hydrated to perform at its best. It will also counterbalance the amount of caffeine you will inevitably consume this week.

Take practice exams

Practice exams can be your best friend during exam periods. These can range from old exams from your teachers to practice exams and problems you find online from other schools. A quick google search should yield many great results for practice problems. Doing practice problems and reading condensed forms of the material, and even watching videos can be very beneficial to reviewing for your exams.

Music

Playlists can be life savers when it is crunch time. I enjoy listening to instrumental classical music, and movie scores. Programs like Spotify and Pandora are great because they work over wifi and have the playlists already made for you. I love listening to playlists when studying alone because I really need to zone out and not be distracted by my surroundings.

Caffeine and Sleep

Whether this is coffee, tea, or however you take your poison you will definitely be consuming a great deal of caffeine this week. Make sure to not overdo the caffeine and get some sleep. While you may want to stay focused for long periods of time, your sleep is vital to your exam performance. If you cannot read a question on an exam because you are so exhausted your exam grade can seriously suffer.

You have worked hard for these finals, so trust yourself with your answers, abilities, and hard work. Do not worry, I have faith that you will do great.